1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of gaming forms such as lottery tickets, having a scratch-off coating for concealing information which affects the value of the forms, i.e., whether or not a particular form is a winning entry. The form according to the invention, e.g., a lottery ticket, promotional form or the like, comprising an opaque paper substrate, a contrasting opaque coating over a part of the substrate, indicia on the substrate, a non-concealing protective coating over the indicia and a removable coating to conceal the indicia.
2. Prior Art
In the field of gaming forms, preferably lottery tickets, it is known to conceal indicia such as a printed number on a gaming form by a opaque scratch off coating applied after the indicia is printed and before the form is issued to the player. The gaming form substrate is typically a lamination of paper stock and metallic foil such as aluminum foil so that the substrate is opaque and secure prior to use. The scratch-off coating is typically a pigmented soft latex applied over a varnish release layer. The coating is opaque for security and readily removable by scratching the form with a coin or finger nail, so that the player can read the information under the scratch-off coating and determine whether or not the ticket is a winner.
The concealed indicia affects the Value of the gaming form. There are security problems associated with prior art gaming forms, including lottery tickets, which have a number or other printed indicia on the gaming form substrate which is covered with a scratch-off coating. It may be possible, for example, by one or more techniques, to read the information printed under the scratch-off coating without disturbing the scratch-off coating.
One technique involves shining a light or other source of radiation at the side of the card, and attempting to discern the indicia by observing the differences in the amount of radiation passing through to the opposite side. Whereas the printed indicia locally increases the opacity of the form, the indicia may be readable through the scratch-off coating. Typically this candling technique uses bright light at wavelengths in the visible range; however, ultraviolet light, infrared light, or other forms of electromagnetic radiation may also be used to reveal the indicia.
Another technique is to electrostatically charge the form, apply a powder to one side, and observe the pattern in which the powder adheres to the form. Whereas the concealed printed indicia may affect the localized charging conditions, the concealed indicia can be revealed in the pattern of adhered powder.
A further technique involves applying alcohol or a similar solvent to the scratch-off coating, to temporarily reduce the opacity of the scratch-off coating. The coating is not disturbed mechanically, and after the solvent dries the coating regains its opacity without apparent damage to the form.
An unscrupulous person may be led to examine a stock of such forms which are to be sold to the customers, and to extract from the stock those that are determined to be winning tickets. Retail lottery agents, for example, potentially could examine the stock of the forms received from a state lottery agency, and extract the winning tickets before they are sold to players. The tickets could be distributed to conspirators in an attempt to defraud the lottery and the other players.
It is known to discourage attempts to discern indicia printed under a scratch-off coating by printing the outer surface of the scratch-off coating with a so-called confusion pattern. The confusion pattern can be arranged to correspond to segments of the letters or numbers of the concealed indicia, and tends to camouflage the indicia.
It is also known to discourage attempts to discern indicia printed under a scratch-off coating by providing a gaming form which comprises a lamination of paper stock and metallic foil such as aluminum foil. Whereas the metallic foil is substantially more opaque than the ink used to print the concealed indicia, the foil effectively prevents reading of the indicia by shining a light or the like through the lottery form.
The foil is electrically conductive. However, it is disposed under the printed indicia and under the scratch-off coating. Accordingly, the foil does not adversely affect the ability of an unscrupulous person to charge the form, apply a powder, in an attempt to discern the indicia by examining the uneven charge at the surfaces of the form due to the printed indicia.
The foregoing technique is helpful for making it more difficult to read through the scratch-off coating. The foil layer, however, renders the forms non-recyclable and non-biodegradable. Foil lamination is also relatively expensive, both in the cost of materials and in the cost of production. It would be advantageous to provide a gaming form structure which has the same advantages as a laminated foiled card, but which is recyclable and biodegradable, and preferably is made of recycled material.
Recycling has generated much interest in recent years in the United States. Heightened awareness of decreasing natural resources has led the United States to direct its attention to conservation through recycling. It is known that paper is a readily recyclable material. The present invention provides a gaming form that has a base made of recyclable opaque paper, preferably comprising at least a majority of recycled materials, but yet has the same advantages as a laminated foil card.
Known paper making technologies that produce opaque paper stock made from recycled fibers present problems for use in making gaming forms. The recycled paper board industry primarily uses cylinder paper making machines, wherein the recycled paper board is constructed by a layering process. The layering process is necessary to provide a paper made from chopped up and non-aligning recycled fibers. However, a pliable recycled paper board would not provide a gaming form with the desired opacity for security and smoothness for applying indicia to the gaming form.
The layering process creates pliable paper that may be delaminated and rendered less opaque than the printed indicia, thereby allowing attempts to discern the indicia printed under the scratch-off coating by the foregoing techniques. Furthermore, recycled paper has a rough surface due to the non-aligned recycled fibers, which renders it inapplicable to apply an indicia to the gaming form. A Fourdrinier paper making machine produces high quality paper comprising one continuous, non-pliable sheet. No lamination or layering of the paper stock results. Thus, in a gaming form application, it would deter or make difficult the possibility of delaminating the paper base and rendering the form less opaque to discern the printed indicia. It would be advantageous to provide a non-pliable continuous opaque sheet of paper from recycled fibers made by the Fourdrinier process.
Furthermore, non-biodegradable waste and its disposal raises environmental concerns. Landfill disposable sites for non-biodegradable waste are finite in number and eventually will be exhausted. In addition, leachates of heavy metals and other hazardous materials into the surrounding soil and water systems through landfills presents contamination and pollution problems. Disposal of non-biodegradable waste is also a relatively expensive process. The present invention provides a gaming form that has a base made of biodegradable paper and a number of coating layers produced from water-based coatings which are environmentally safe.
It is known to coat recyclable opaque paper made from recycled fibers with a coating composition to render the surface smooth for printing. The present invention further provides a contrasting opaque coating over at least a printable portion of the gaming form that is water-based and environmentally safe and further renders a recyclable opaque paper gaming form comprising recycled fibers smooth for applying indicia to the gaming form.
The scratch-off coating is typically applied in the form of a mixture of thermoplastic rubber or latex, solvent and pigment. When the coating is applied, the solvent evaporates quickly and the rubber and pigment remain. A nonconcealing release coating such as clear varnish or pigmented varnish is applied to the form before the scratch-off coating is applied, over the indicia to be hidden. The release coating allows the player to remove the opaque cover coating by scratching the form with a finger nail, coin or the like, while protecting the indicia.
Solvents in general present environmental and health dangers to humans. The solvents can be ingested by skin contact, by inhalation of vapors, etc. It is virtually unavoidable that workers in the field of solvent printing processes will become exposed to the solvents. Exposure to solvents is widely believed to increase the risk of cancer in humans. Assuming that those involved in the printing process avoid exposure by use of protective equipment, there is still a problem that waste materials, residual solvents in containers, solvents needed to clean operating apparatus, etc., often find their way into the environment. Over time, a facility which regularly handles solvents and materials prepared with, cleaned with or otherwise exposed to solvents, will accumulate potentially dangerous levels.
Known scratch-off coatings which use a dispersion of thermoplastic rubber and pigment in a solvent provide a rubbery consistency for the coating, which is easily applied and readily scratched off. Whereas solvents are undesirable components for environmental reasons, it would be advantageous to provide a comparable coating material with a less dangerous carrier, which would still provide the desirable rubber consistency, opacity, and ease of application. The coating should also dry relatively quickly, without reliance on the high volatility of the carrier.
Industry has attempted to develop coating products in general, including paints, inks and the like, which are carried in water rather than solvent. However, problems are encountered in attempting to provide a water based scratch-off ink, for example to be used for removably concealing information on lottery tickets, promotional forms and the like. Metallic pigments such as aluminum particles react in water to evolve hydrogen gas, a potential explosion problem. Water based acrylic resins also tend to form a film, which is undesirable in a printing process and makes the coating difficult to remove by scratching. It is difficult to provide a water based formulation which is relatively soft and rubbery, for easy scratch-off qualities, but is not hard or tacky when dry or prone to build up on the printing head. For these and other reasons, an effective water based scratch-off ink has not heretofore been available.
It would be advantageous to solve problems of security, environmental safety, recycling, and production of gaming forms in a form which is inexpensive in materials and production complexity, yet serves the other needs noted above.